Those who have never had a pet often cannot understand how hard it is to lose one. To many people, it’s “just a cat, dog, or hamster.” Society often overlooks the loss of a pet, leaving people to grieve alone.

Yet it is entirely natural to feel despair over the loss of a pet, sometimes even more intensely than the loss of a person. After all, the love we receive from animals is almost always unconditional.

I understand these feelings. Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of having a cat. When I was about 20, I adopted Ray. My girlfriend suggested we take one of the kittens born to our family cat in the village.

From the photos, I had chosen a grey and energetic kitten, but fate had other plans. During the visit, another kitten unexpectedly jumped onto my lap and fell asleep so peacefully that I immediately knew — this was the cat for me.